Getting real tired of the Heaps bashers. He does a good job and makes no more mistakes then anyone else. Everyone is quiet about Joey but I cringe every time he winds up for a cross cause I know it's gonna stink. Heaps runs the field, knows his limitations, blays "big" because of his jumping ability and made some very nice plays. He almost scored too. Give the kid a break. We're better with him then without him
Jay's been a defensive liability for most of the season. He gets beaten frequently, sometimes sliding and not getting the ball so the offensive player steams upfield while he's sitting on the ground. He's also been prone to drifting well out of position and leaving a big chunk of the back unguarded. Having said that, if he plays the way he played on Thursday, we are better with him than without him.
I don't disagree, but you can't overlook the damage done by those lost long balls. They become offensive opportunities for the opposition and thus more chances for the defense to make a mistake. OTOH, if you're playing and connecting on short passes, you're maintaining possession, putting more pressure on the other team's defense and advancing the ball in the offensive half. These all make it harder for the opponents to pressure our defense, so that 90% success rate on short passes from our defense is bound to rise. "Long" goal kicks, punts and clearing balls from the goalkeeper and defenders almost inevitably turn into possession for the other team - too much of this kind of play leads to almost constant defending - with it's inevitable breakdowns.
Sometimes it seems that way and sometimes it is that way. But many times, Rusty loses his cool. Joe Franchino learned when to walk away (not that he's perfect). Rusty needs to learn that. For example: In the San Jose game a few weeks ago, Rusty got his second yellow because as Mullan (?) collided with him and the two players started to fall, Rusty wrapped his arm around him and pulled him down. Then Rusty acts like he can't figure out why he got a second yellow. Gimme a break. Even his teammates weren't supporting him. If Rusty wants a look from Bruce Arena (as he said earlier this season), he needs to calm down. Razov and Mathis get into trouble with their tempers, so does Rusty. He's a good defender but he needs to get the temper under control. Beat the opponent physically and mentally, don't let them get under your skin. You hurt your teammates that way. I agree that it was a gutsy performance. He is not the only person to score for the Revs this year. Kamler has done well this year but he got sent off in this one. Not only did we lose the opportunity for a Kamler goal, but we also lost his crosses. I don't think Fabbro has done anything yet. So I'm not sure putting him in would have made a difference. Obviously, Chris Brown had a great game with that hat trick, but he also had great service that day and was in the right place at the right time (not to take anything away from his finishing that day). Twellman does that as well. Anyone on the team could do it if they support each other properly. This match had some good moments, but there was also some bad passing in the final third. Maybe it was just good Rapids defense. Maybe it was an off day for Ralston. Maybe Cancela couldn't recover after getting knocked around a few times. No way of knowing if the outcome would be different if Fabbro or Brown had gone in for Twellman. RE: the ref...Still don't understand the Kamler red. If the ref was paying attention he would have seen Carrieri smack Heaps in the face. As someone else said, I left wondering what the ref actually thought was a foul. Best commentary on the ref: Eric Wynalda was standing at the end of the Revs bench. He and Nicol were talking. (From one end of the bench to the other). Wynalda covers his eyes with his hand and puts the microphone out in front of him as if to say he's blind. Can't hear the conversation from 22 rows up, but Wynalda's actions were enough to understand it. We're running out of time, but I still see some promise in this team. Weekend wins from NY, Dallas and LA helped us stay close to DC and Columbus. The Revs need to go out and get the job done.